The Programme for Animators, Leaders, and Salesians (PALS) was successfully held on September 10th, 2023 at Don Bosco Provincial House in Bangalore. The event was organised by Don Bosco Youth Services, Karnataka, under the leadership of Fr. Uday Kumar, the Regional Youth Director of Karnataka. The PALS programme saw a total of 100 participants, including 90 youth leaders and 10 animators representing 16 groups.
The programme began with the inauguration ceremony at 9:30 a.m. by Fr. Sebastian Kudackat, Rector of the Don Bosco Provincial House, Bangalore. Following the inauguration ceremony, there was a short animation programme by Br. Balaswamy, Br. Sandesh, and Br. Arun. Fr. Prasad, Director of Bosco Mane, led the first session at 10:00 am on the topic “Youth and Social Action: Challenges and Possibilities”. The session was informative and detailed the genuine difficulties that youngsters face among the new trends in the world.
After the tea break at 11:15 am, Fr. Binu Scaria, a former Youth Director for Kerala, led the second session. The session began at 11:30 am and focused on the theme “Youth Towards Transformation of the Self and Society”. Fr. Scaria spoke about how to make use of the opportunities that come our way and empower ourselves to transform both ourselves and society. The third session was animated by Fr. Jude Arul Anand, former Regional Youth Director of Karnataka and current Director of Bosco Nilaya. The session began at 2:00 pm, and the topic was “Don Bosco: The Friend of Youth”. Fr. Anand enthusiastically explained who Don Bosco was and his significance for the youth.
The programme concluded with the election of new leaders at 3:00 pm Fr. Uday Kumar initiated the election process with the help of Fr. Arun George (Youth Animator of DB Hospet). Overall, the PALS programme was an enriching experience for all participants, and it was well-organised by the Don Bosco Youth Services, Karnataka.
